South Africa Records Youngest Known Covid-19 Death, Two-Day-Old Baby

A two-day-old baby has died from Covid-19 in South Africa. The child who is said to have had underlying health problems is one of the world’s youngest victims of the respiratory-related disease. iHarare is well informed through the BBC that the baby was born prematurely and needed help breathing. According to Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize, the mother had tested positive and the baby subsequently tested positive for the pandemic.

‘Sadly we have recorded the first neonatal mortality related to Covid-19. The baby was two days old and was born prematurely. The baby had lung difficulties which required ventilation support immediately after birth,’Dr Zweli Mkhize said.

Mr Mkhize said that the two-day-old baby was one of 27 new deaths recorded in South Africa in the last 24 hours.

‘We extend a special word of comfort to the mother of this child and salute the neonatologists, nurses and all allied and technical personnel who had the difficult task of caring for the neonate to the end,’ he added.

Quizzed by the publication whether this was the youngest person to succumb to the respiratory-related illness caused by the novel coronavirus, the director of the Africa Centre for Disease Control (CDC) Dr John Nkengasong said,

‘To the best of our knowledge that is the first case that the Africa CDC is aware of.’

Other countries who have recorded the youngest Covid-19 deaths are Indonesia and the United Kingdom. In the UK a three-day-old baby succumbed to Covid-19 earlier this month. The mother and the baby tested positive for the virus soon after she gave birth. The baby was born with a low heart rate and coronavirus is said to have dealt the death blow.

Taking to social media on Thursday, Dr Mkhize revealed that the number of deaths from the pandemic in the country has moved past 300 with more than 18, 000 infections. Speaking on his official Twitter account, Mkhize said,

As of today the total number of confirmed #COVID19 cases is 19137 and the total number of deaths is 369.